Like It Is

If you’re childfree and you already feel that mothers get advantages in the workplace this article should give you some idea that when it comes to politics, there’s nowhere too low to stoop. And far from things getting better, they can get worse. Even if you don’t live in the UK, this article should still ring alarm bells. It has overtones of the French system, only it’s trying to be subtle - and failing. Thanks to Mercurior for finding this interesting link.

The UK Conservative Party plans to reward families where one parents chooses to stay at home to look after a child.

It seems that buying the female – (read Stay-At-Home-Mother) vote has become all important.

Tories Plan Rewards For Stay At Home Mothers

According to the Daily Mail, David Cameron, Tory party leader says:

“Millions of mothers have been “pressurized” by Labour to return to work.

And, according to a report ordered by David Cameron the Government’s approach to working women had been to “compel, to lecture and to condescend”.

Funny, I thought that going to work meant bringing in money…which you have to do to pay the mortage, put food on the table and presumably all those other things that working enables us to do.

The report also says that benefits and regulations have been skewed to help working mothers – to the disadvantage of those mothers who stay at home, such as tax breaks.

In response, the Tories are pledging to:

“re-balance the tax system to reward families where one parent chooses to stay at home to look after a child.” These “reforms” could mean an extra £3,000 a year for some couples. Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: childfree

I found this very interesting article in the International Herald Tribune. It’s about moves afoot in India which would see children either fined or jailed for not taking care of their elderly parents. India already has a tradition of respect for the elderly. But now it is taking this to a new extreme… with legislation to boot.

You would have to have been living under a proverbial rock (or on another planet) to be unaware of how India’s economy has been powering ahead on the world stage. With that has come social change more akin to Western models, such as the nuclear family which is replacing the extended family model. The grandparent used to be the head of the family – that’s changing.

Under the proposed bill – touted by one publication as the “bill to protect aging parents from ungrateful children,” Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: India, tradition

One of my readers sent me this link a while ago. Called Prejudices are difficult to kill by Gabriella Coslovich in The Age it’s yet another example proving that, unless you are busy breeding – oops – reproducing your view really doesn’t count one whit. Parents views, however certainly do. Many have tried to convince me that parents have such a hard time of it, have needs that we as childfree persons haven’t a clue about, and are entitled to whatever they want/need to make their lives (when having and raising kids) easier. Read the rest of this entry »

This was the other big blogging story in the news today. A blogger sent to jail for criticising Egypt’s top university, (apparently taken, by the way, as a criticism of Islam) and the Egyptian president. As someone has said, how come Muslim countries want to enjoy the freedom of speech in the West to demonstrate against cartoons, and other grievances (perceived or otherwise) yet prosecute and lock up a person who dares to criticise their leader or a university??

The university apparently expelled Abdel Kareem Soliman in 2006 and then pressed prosecutors to put him on trial.

Which they did. Read the rest of this entry »

Says UK minister for Family Policy, Beverley Hughes in a book to be published in May.

All 29 million UK workers should have a right that is at present granted only to parents with young families, according to the minister in charge of family policy.

Yes. About time too.

But a universal right to ask for part time work? How will businesses be able to take it?

Business chiefs have said that thousands of companies would simply not be able to cope. I think this is particularly true of smaller businesses.

The Government introduced the “right to request” flexible work in 2003 for parents with children under six. Since then, 22 per cent of eligible employees have requested it and 80 per cent of bosses have agreed. Although the employer can refuse, s/he must show the request has been considered seriously and, if it goes to tribunal, prove that s/he had a good reason. This April the right will be extended to the 2.8 million people who care for elderly or sick relatives. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s official. The Democratic Senator Barack Obama has launched his presidential campaign. He is 45 and considered the first African-American candidate to have a chance of winning the Democratic nomination.

Hillary Clinton has also thrown her hat in the ring. So it’s Barak against Hillary so far. Should be interesting.The news media is buzzing about it.

Here’s my take and I’m perfectly willing to be proved wrong.

If the Democrats are running either Barack or Hillary or they might as well just forget about winning the presidency. Both are unelectable, at least for the moment, for different reasons.

Hillary is a woman. A hated woman, by America at least. Especially by women. And she’s an intellectual. Bad. Very bad. Barack is Black (although, according to the African-American community, because he didn’t grow up descended from slaves and grow up in Alabama, he’s not really black. WTF?!) Or, more importantly he’s “Not Black Enough for African-Americans” (translation: we’re taking our vote and we’re going home). I saw an interview on the Daily Show the other day where a prominent African-American woman was actually saying Barack is “an adopted brother, but not a real brother…” and I could not believe my ears. I eventually managed to pick my jaw off the floor. Read the rest of this entry »

Conservatives Suddenly Defending the Childfree?

Ultra conservative Rush Limbaugh defending women without children?? WTF? I actually found myself agreeing with what he is saying. It all erupted from what is now being called “The Barbara Boxer Thing” where on Jan 12, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer apparently attacked Condolezza Rice for being single and childless. Read the rest of this entry »

And this time, who better to do it than a sleazy politician who simply loves to engage in point scoring. This time it is Jack Layton of the New Democrats, who is accusing the banks of “gouging customers with the fees they charge to withdraw and deposit cash at ATMs” (Automatic Tellers, or Cash Points if you’re a UK reader).

Mr Layton, in an election style street corner rant, said that for a bank to charge a customer who wants $40 or $60 of their money out from an ATM is unfair. And that the $19 billion profits Canadian banks made last year should be enough to waive ATM convenience fees.

Yes, of course we all hate banks making money. We have no problem shelling out over inflated payments to buy a gas guzzling new car that drops a third of its value as soon as you drive it from the showroom, or taking out a mortgage of several thousand dollars to buy our dream home. We are happy to pay $1.75 for a plain tea, several times a day, Read the rest of this entry »

Seems to be Women’s Week with another first and another story that I thought worth highlighting.

First woman deputy follows heavy pressure from African states

Now this is what I call a rather more balanced write-up of a recent woman appointee, even though the appointment itself isn’t met by jubilation from all. This is because this appointee comes from the previous UN cabinet that had more than a few failings and most were hoping for a new broom.

“Sources said that Ban Ki Moon, the new UN chief, met her when he visited Tanzania, then on the 15-nation UN Security Council, during his campaign for the top UN job last year. She will be responsible for managing the unwieldy UN bureaucracy that has been plagued by corruption and sexual abuse scandals in recent years.

Mr Ban, a former South Korean Foreign Minister who began his five-year term at the United Nations this week, has promised “bold steps” to reform the organisation but his early appointments have disappointed UN staff.

They had called on him to bring about a “fundamental change in the mindset of senior management . . . from a relationship based on dominance, disregard and fear to a real partnership.” Instead, Mr Ban named two insiders from the scandal-scarred administration of Kofi Annan, his predecessor, to key internal posts.”

Doesn’t augur well, does it? But I like the bio,myself. Not a word about fluffy hair,make up or high heels at least in this report. No brood of children in her wake. All about her achievements and just one bullet point about her family status. That’s more like it. Maybe that’s why it didn’t make the wider networks. No sexy angle to be had here:

First lady

WASHINGTON (AP) — The spotlight belonged to Nancy Pelosi on Thursday as she became the first woman in U.S. history to stand at the head of the House of Representatives, second in line to the presidency.

Yes, it’s indeed great. Wonderful in fact, that another woman has risen to prominence. Last year we had Katie Kouric. Long overdue and sad it is so rare that it still makes headlines. It should also remind us of how sexist male dominated America still is in its echelons of power, whether this be government or corporate business. When you consider that female voters account for a large number of political votes, this continues to sit oddly when it comes to politics.

We are in 2007 and only now a woman gets to head the House of Representatives? No doubt the feminists have much to say on that one… and Read the rest of this entry »